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Your Information.
Your Rights.
Our
Responsibilities.
Notice of Privacy Practices
for organizations that are part of
HealthPartners.
This notice describes how medical information about
you may be used and disclosed and how you can get
access to this information. Please review it carefully.
Effective May 15, 2014
Summary
Our mission is to improve health and well-being in
partnership with our members, patients and community.
We want you to feel supported and informed in your care
and coverage. This includes explaining how we use and
manage your information, and your rights and choices
related to that information.
Privacy is a complicated subject. We know it can be
confusing, especially as different state and federal
laws come into play. We honor the trust you place in
us by choosing us for your treatment and care. We
hope this summary of your rights and choices, and
our responsibilities for how we use and share your
information, helps you understand how we follow the law
and honor your trust.
Your information
In this notice, when we use “your information” we’re
referring to information that identifies you and relates
to your health or condition, your health care services, or
payment for those services. It includes health information,
like diagnosis and treatment plans. It also includes
demographic information like your name, address, phone
number and date of birth.
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Your rights as our patient
When it comes to your information and privacy, you
have important rights under state and federal law.
This section explains those rights. Ask us about them and
we’ll explain the process, including if you need to put your
request in writing.
You have the right to:
Get an electronic or paper copy of your
information
•
You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy
of your information.
•
We’ll provide a copy or a summary of your
information as quickly as possible.
•
If there are records that we can’t share or if we limit
access, we’ll help you understand why.
Ask us to correct your information
•
You can ask us to correct your information if you tell
us why you think it’s incorrect or incomplete.
•
We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you
why in writing as quickly as possible. In that case, you
can ask us to keep a copy of your disagreement (a
written statement you provide to us) with your records.
Ask us to limit what we use or share
•
You can ask us not to use or share your information.
We’ll always consider your request, but we may say
“no” if it would affect our ability to provide care
or service to you, or if we are unable to make the
change in our systems.
•
If you pay the full amount out-of-pocket for a service
or item, you can ask us when you check in not to share
information about that service or item with your health
plan. We’ll honor your request, unless the law requires
us to share that information with your health plan.
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Request confidential communications
•
You can ask us to contact you in a specific way
(for example, home or office phone) or to send mail
to a different address. We’ll do our best to meet your needs.
Get a list of who has received your information
•
You can ask for a list (an “accounting”) of the
times we’ve shared your information with outside
organizations or individuals, who we shared it with,
and why.
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We’ll include all the times we’ve shared your
information, except for when it was about your
treatment, payment for your treatment or health
care operations, and certain other time’s when we’ve
released your information (such as if you asked us to
share it and releases we’ve already told you about).
Get a copy of this notice
•
You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any
time. We’ll provide it right away.
•
This notice is also available on healthpartners.com
and parknicollet.com and is posted in all our care
locations.
File a complaint if you feel your privacy rights
have been violated
•
You can complain directly to us if you feel we’ve
violated your privacy rights by contacting us using the
information on the last page of this notice.
•
You can also file a complaint with the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services Office
for Civil Rights. Find contact information at
www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
•
We won’t act against you for making a complaint.
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Your Choices
In some situations, you have additional choices about
how we use and share your information. If you have
a preference in the situations described below, let us
know. Tell us what you want us to do, and we’ll follow your
instructions while following the law.
You can tell us not to:
•
Share your information with your family, close friends,
or others involved in your care.
•
Include you in our patient directory when you’re
admitted to one of our hospitals.
•
Contact you to raise money to support our mission.
•
Share your information with others for health
research. (We can still use your information for our
own research as long as we follow the law.)
We must get your written permission before we:
•
Use or share your information to market another
organization’s products or services
•
Use or share your information to market our own
products or services, if another organization is paying
us to do it or if the products or services are not
health-related.
•
Sell or rent your information to another organization.
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Our Responsibilities
We protect your information because your privacy is
important to us, and because it’s the law.
•
We must follow the responsibilities and privacy
practices described in this notice.
•
We must make this notice available to you in our
patient care locations and online at healthpartners.
com and parknicollet.com.
•
We can change this notice, and the changes will
apply to all information we have about you. If we
make significant changes, we’ll post the new notice at
our patient care locations and online.
•
We’ll let you know quickly if a breach (unauthorized
use or sharing) occurs that may have the privacy of
your information at risk.
•
We won’t use or share your information except as
covered in this notice, unless you tell us we can in
writing. You may change your mind at any time. Let
us know in writing if you change your mind.
•
When the law requires us to get your permission
in writing before we use or share your information,
we’ll do so.
•
We will ask you for this permission when you first
become a patient and occasionally after that. This
allows us to better arrange for your care, payment for
your care, and our operations as described below.
If you don’t want to give us your permission, then
we may not be able to bill your health plan for your
services and may need to bill you personally. We may
also not be able to coordinate your care.
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How do we typically use and share your
information?
We typically use and share your information in the
following ways:
To treat you (treatment)
We use and share your information to treat you. We
share it with other professionals and organizations that
are treating you or managing your care, and to create
a safe and more coordinated care experience for you.
This includes sharing within organized health care
arrangements, such as doctors on a hospital’s medical
staff who work together to care for you.
Example: As your primary care physician, we tell a
specialty doctor who is treating you what medicines you’re
taking, to avoid dangerous drug interactions.
Example: We remind you of an upcoming appointment
with us.
Please note that we don’t need your permission to share
your information in a medical emergency if you can’t give us
permission due to your condition. Also, the organizations
covered by this notice don’t need your permission to share
your information with each other, as long as it’s to care for
you or for another permitted purpose.
To bill for your services (payment)
We can use and share your information to bill and get
paid by health plans and others for care that you receive.
Example: We send information about the service we
provided to you to your health plan so it will pay us for
those services.
Example: We may contact your health plan to see if a
service is covered before we provide that care.
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To run our organization (health care operations)
We use and share your information to improve the
quality of your care and experience, and to manage our
operations.
Example: We use limited amounts of your information
to help with licensing and accreditation, and evaluating
quality.
Example: We share limited amounts of your information
with business associates – those we partner with to
provide services on our behalf but who aren’t our
employees or affiliates. These partners are required by law
to safeguard your information the same way we do.
How else do we use or share your information?
We’re allowed or required to share your information in
other ways that relate to public health and legal activities.
We have to meet many conditions in the law before we
can share your information for these purposes.
Follow the law
•
We use or share your information if state or federal
law requires it.
Help with public health and safety issues
We share your information with public health authorities or
other authorized agencies in certain situations such as to:
•
Prevent disease
•
Help with product recalls
•
Report adverse reactions to medications
•
Report suspected abuse, neglect, domestic violence
or crimes in our care locations
•
Prevent or reduce a serious threat to anyone’s health
or safety
•
Help with health system oversight, such as audits or
investigations
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•
Comply with special government functions such as
military, national security, presidential protective
services and disclosures to correctional facilities
Respond to organ and tissue donation requests
•
We use and share your information to help with organ
or tissue donation.
Work with a medical examiner or funeral director
•
We share your information with a coroner, medical
examiner, or funeral director.
Handle workers’ compensation
•
We use and share your information for your workers’
compensation claims
Respond to lawsuits and legal actions
•
We can use and share your information for legal
actions, or in response to a court or administrative
order, or other lawful process.
•
We can share your information with authorized law
enforcement officials.
With your written permission
•
If we want to use or share your information in a
way not covered in this notice, we’re required to
get your written permission first.
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FOR INFORMATION, QUESTIONS
OR COMPLAINTS
Please talk to us at your place of care if you have any
questions about this notice. You can also contact us at
by phone:
•
HealthPartners Integrity and Compliance Hotline
at 1-866-444-3493 or the Park Nicollet Hotline at
1-855-246-PNHS (7647)
Are you also a member of a HealthPartners
health plan?
Get information about our health plan privacy practices
and the privacy rights of our members by calling
HealthPartners Member Services at 952-967-5000, toll
free at 800-883-2177 or 952-883-5127 (TTY). You can
also find that information online at healthpartners.com.
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This notice applies to all our organizations and providers*:
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Amery Regional Medical Center and Clinics
Capitol View Transitional Care Center
Group Health Plan
HealthPartners
HealthPartners Central Minnesota Clinics
HealthPartners Dental Group and Clinics (including WOW
Orthodontics, River Valley Dental Clinic and Stenberg
Orthodontics)
HealthPartners Hospice and Palliative Care
HealthPartners Insurance Company
HealthPartners Medical Group and Clinics
Hudson Hospital & Clinics
Integrated Home Care
Lakeview Hospital
North Suburban Family Physicians
Park Nicollet Clinic
Park Nicollet Health Care Products
Park Nicollet Institute (including International Diabetes
Center)
Park Nicollet Melrose Institute
Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital
Physicians Neck & Back Clinics
Regions Hospital
RHSC
RiverWay Clinics
Stillwater Medical Group and Clinics
TRIA Orthopaedic Center
virtuwell®
Western Wisconsin Emergency Medical Services/Unity
Ambulance
Westfields Hospital
Medical Staff who provide services at any of the
organizations on this list
Specialty programs and services provided by any of the
organizations on this list
Independent caregivers who participate in our hospitals’
organized health care arrangements.
* This list may change from time to time, as our organization
changes and grows. We will update the list in the notice that is
posted on healthpartners.com and parknicollet.com.
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